You Work Too Hard

Introduction: I heard this song one evening as I was
walking through the woods near my old house. It first got my
attention because it seemed to be coming from a rowan tree.
It wasn't the rowan tree singing, of course; there was a
hole between two of the roots of the rowan tree, and that's
where the song was coming from. I listened long enough to
pick up the words (I think I've got them right) but didn't
dare stay long enough to see who was singing. It wasn't a
very *big* hole, though.

Dally, sweet singer, come settle and
rest.
The great redwoods whisper the secrets of green.
Too long have you labored at hardship's behest
Scratching a living too bitter and lean,
Too much on your mettle, too long on your guard. . .
Heather, you work too hard.

Living your life like a vagabond
child
Learning to quiet the hunger that burns
With snatches of music and song-snippets wild,
But the sweetest song fades and the silence returns.
Harried and heartsore, weary and scarred,
Heather, you work too hard.

Enter our fairy ring; here you will
find
Melody twined in the songs of the Sidhe.
Glad ears to listen when you're so inclined,
Voices to join you in time and on key
Gallants just waiting to waltz with a Bard. . .
Heather, you work too hard.

Quicksilver laughter that slips through
your fist
You'd always have joined us if only you could.
Follow our song and step into the mist.
Your friends and your family will find in the wood
Your footprints fade out till the dew lies unmarred. . .
Heather, you work too hard.

This song was inspired by some of Heather Alexander's between-songs patter.